A Japanese fishing boat was overturned by giant Nomura’s jellyfish off the coat of Chibu after attempting to pull in nets filled with the giant Nomura’s jellyfish weighing up to 200kg each. If it wasn’t bad enough that those fishing for the beasts are in danger, scientists are apparently preparing for a “typhoon” of huge jellyfish to hit Japan.
Scientists fear weather and water conditions are perfect for a “typhoon” of the creatures, of which little is known.
“The arrival is inevitable,” Hiroshima University Professor Shinichi Ue said.
“A huge jellyfish typhoon will hit the country.”
A decline in predators of the jellyfish, such as sea turtles, is believed to be one reason there has been an increase of them in recent years.
Little is known about the jellyfish, primarily confusion about its random appearances off the coast of Japan. Last year there were almost no sightings but in 2007 there were more than 15,500 reports of damage to fishing equipment by the creatures.
via metro.co.uk
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via Swim At Your Own Risk
Here’s another Top 10 photos of 2006 series, this time from National Geographic. These giant jellyfish grow up to 2m (6 ft 7 in) in diameter and weigh up to 200kgs (440 lbs) making them #3! Thanks to Clive this photo has actually appeared on fishing fury before. We’ve also got some great photos of jellyfish at the Monterey Bay Aquarium.
The rest of your top 10 are just around the bend.
I know Jon previously wrote about the swarms giant jellyfish that invade the seas around Japan, but I found a few incredible photographs I though I’d share. These huge nomura’s jellyfish can grow up to 2m (6 ft 7 in) in diameter and weigh up to 200kgs (440 lbs). In the past year, numbers of these jelly fish have increased one hundred times. To reduce the numbers of these huge jellyfish the government of Japan has formed a committee. One solution: eat them.
Photos via Pagents Progress
Scientists have managed to capture the explosive sting of jellyfish on film using a camera capable of taking 1.4 million frames per second and discover that it’s quite possibly the fastest cellular process in nature. As it turns out Jellyfish can hit with as much force as a bullet, and their explosive cocktail of nerve and blood attacking toxins fire out at the same speed.
Miniature stinger cells, called nematocysts, cloak the tentacles of jellyfish in their thousands and each harbours a deadly cocktail of toxins that attack the nerves and blood of their victims. Injecting the poisons into prey requires a discharge forceful enough to break through the shells of crustaceans.
When the tentacle touches its prey the lid of the nematocyst flips open, triggering the folded collagen spring to release outwards. This ejects a sharp spine, known as a stylet. The stylet pierces the external barrier of the prey with a pressure of more than 7 billion Pascals – in the range of that generated by a bullet fired from a gun.
Check out the short but cool video, 240,000 frames per second (143kb Quicktime).
